TASK 1. Read the information.

Then match the general descriptions of the Reading

passages with the passage headings.

In the IELTS Reading test, you will read three Reading passages. They will usually have a
heading and a ‘subheading’ (a sentence under the heading, which gives you more information on
the topic of the article).

Quickly looking at the heading and subheading will give you a good understanding of what the
passage is about.

a description of another culture

a description of how something is getting better or worse
a discussion of the effect that something has on something else
an explanation of how one section of society is helping to bring about positive change
an explanation of what someone needs to do
an explanation of when something began and how it has developed

1. The changing fortunes of Antarctic penguins

2. The history of chocolate
3. What does it take to become an astronaut?
4. Matariki celebration
5. How young volunteers are making a difference
6. How birth order might affect a child’s personality

TASK 2. Read the heading and the subheading from a Reading passage.

The changing fortunes of Antarctic penguins

Robert Gates explains how climate change has started to affect the natural habitat of the Adélie
penguin

Think about the kinds of information that may be included in the passage. Then read the
statements below and decide whether they are likely or unlikely to appear in the Reading
passage.

1. An explanation of how the Adélie penguin population in the Antarctic has increased or
decreased.
o Likely
o Unlikely

2. An explanation of the best places to see penguins around the world.

o Likely
o Unlikely
3. A discussion of why one species of penguin is doing better or worse than others.
o Likely
o Unlikely

4. An explanation of when people first discovered penguins and how these animals caught
the imagination of people around the world.
o Likely
o Unlikely
 5. A discussion of how global warming has affected the environment in which one species
of penguin lives.
o Likely
o Unlikely

TASK 3. Read the information. Then read the first sentence of each paragraph (1–4) from
the Reading passage. What is each paragraph about? Choose the correct answers.

In the IELTS Reading test, it’s important to first skim the text to try and get a general idea of
what it is about.

As well as reading the heading and subheading, it’s very useful to look at the first sentence of
each paragraph. These often ‘introduce’ the paragraph and may explain what it’s going to be
about.

The changing fortunes of Antarctic penguins

Robert Gates explains how climate change has started to affect the natural habitat of the Adélie
penguin

1. The effects of climate change are complex, with scientists constantly trying to understand
how ecosystems are affected. …

2. Over the last five years, scientists have been examining the populations of different types
of penguin that inhabit the Antarctic continent. …

3. Scientists say there are two main reasons for the population decline in this part of Ross
Island. …

4. Elsewhere on Ross Island, in contrast to McMurdo Sound, the situation is more

encouraging. …

1. The first paragraph is an introduction to the whole Reading passage, which is about …

- what experts have learnt about changes to the environment and wildlife.
- whether or not climate change exists.

2. The second paragraph is about …

- what scientists want to know about penguins in the Antarctic.

- what scientists have already learnt about penguins in the Antarctic.

3. The third paragraph discusses …

- two explanations for fewer penguins.

- two things which should be done to prevent the decline of penguins.

4. The fourth paragraph describes …

- a place where penguin numbers are less worrying.

- why we shouldn’t be worried about penguins.
TASK 4. Read the information. Spend two to three minutes getting a general idea of each
paragraph in the passage. Then choose the correct answers.

In the IELTS Reading test, you won’t have time to read the whole passage in detail. Spend up to
30 seconds looking at each paragraph, skimming for the main idea of each one.

The changing fortunes of Antarctic penguins

Robert Gates explains how climate change has started to affect the natural habitat of the Adélie
penguin

A The effects of climate change are complex, with scientists constantly trying to understand how
ecosystems are affected. Nowhere is this more so than in the Antarctic – a place where no
humans live permanently, but which nevertheless is undergoing change due to human
interference.

B Over the last five years, scientists have been examining the populations of different types of
penguin that inhabit the Antarctic continent. In particular, they have been looking at penguins
living on Ross Island – a huge island connected to the Antarctic mainland by a permanent sheet
of ice, and formed from four large volcanoes, one of which is still active. On the western side of
Ross Island is Cape Royds, home to a colony of Adélie penguins. In 2000, there were estimated
to be about 4,000 Adélie nests, but a survey carried out in the last few months found that the
number had fallen to 2,100.

C Scientists say there are two main reasons for the population decline in this part of Ross Island.
Firstly, Adélies cannot lay their eggs directly onto ice or snow. However, the average winter air
temperature of the area has risen in the past half century. This causes more snow to fall, which
buries the rocks on which Adélie penguins would typically construct their nests. Secondly, after
a female Adélie lays her egg, she walks to the sea in search of food, while the male remains
behind to hatch the egg. As soon as the female reaches an area of open sea, she will dive into the
water and start feeding. When the female returns with fish for the penguin chick to eat, the
hungry male also hurries off to reach the sea. In previous centuries, the walk would have been
relatively short, between 15 and 20 kilometres. But in 2000, a large iceberg blocked the mouth of
McMurdo Sound, where many Adélie penguins went to find food. At the same time, the ice in
the bay at Cape Royds failed to break up as it had done in the past. This meant the Adélies then
had to walk much further over the ice – often up to 75 kilometres – before they could reach the
ocean. The result was often that the parent waiting on the nest became too hungry to wait any
longer, and the eggs were abandoned.

D Elsewhere on Ross Island, in contrast to McMurdo Sound, the situation is more encouraging.
At Cape Crozier, Adélie penguins are thriving. The colony is now thought to have an estimated
230,000 breeding pairs, an upturn of 20% over the last three decades. Penguins nesting on this
part of Ross Island may actually be benefitting from human activity, scientists suspect. In 1996,
a fishing company opened near the area, and started fishing for vast quantities of Chilean sea
bass – otherwise known as the Patagonian toothfish. As both the Adélies and the sea bass eat
silverfish, competition for this food source has now been dramatically reduced, and this may
partly explain why penguin numbers have risen at Cape Crozier.

E However, it isn’t fish, but krill – tiny, shrimp-like creatures that live just below the pieces of
ice that float on the sea – that form the largest part of an Adélie’s diet. Unfortunately, krill
numbers are also declining rapidly. Dr So Kawaguchi, a biologist working for the Australian
government’s Antarctic Division, suspects he knows the main reason behind this. He accepts that
commercial fishing is partly responsible for huge amounts of krill being removed from the sea,
but he points to rising levels of carbon dioxide as the chief cause. It is this which is making the
waters of the Antarctic more acidic, in turn preventing the krill eggs from hatching. Diminishing
levels of krill not only means less food for penguins. Digesting up to 40 million of these tiny
animals per day, most whales depend on them for survival, too. Also, thanks to their more
diverse diet, Gentoo penguins, a species which eats squid and small crab-like creatures as well as
krill, have hardly been affected by this situation. In fact, their numbers appear to be on the rise.
Other species, such as the Chinstrap and Emperor penguins, however, have the same narrow diet
as Adélies.

F Scientists are now concerned that Adélie penguins will be forced to move further south in
search of more suitable breeding and feeding locations. A team made up of researchers from
Stanford University, USA, and the British Antarctic Survey have recently used geolocation
sensors attached to a number of penguins to track them in order to better understand their
patterns of migration. They know that Adélie penguins leave their nesting areas in February to
begin the slow march north to avoid the darkest time of the year. Around 480 kilometres from
completely open water, they stop on the floating sea ice to spend time feeding and increase their
body weight. They then turn around, and march back to the nesting areas – a journey of about
13,000 kilometres in total. Scientists also know that Adélies have never lived further south of
Cape Royd, and suspect that this is because they need light in order to navigate and search for
food. It also allows them to spot such predators as the skua – a large bird that can easily kill
young penguins. So, will the Adélies be able to adapt, move further south, and live in a darker
environment? Scientists doubt that this kind of evolutionary change can happen in a short time.

1. In paragraph ___, you can find information about where Adélie penguins lay their eggs.

2. Paragraph ___ gives information about why there is less food for Adélie penguins to eat.

3. In paragraph ___, you can find information about how many penguin nests are on Ross
Island.

4. You can find some opinions about what Adélie penguins might need to do to survive in
the future in paragraph ___ .

5. Paragraph ____ explains why one population of Adélie penguins has increased.

6. The introduction to the Reading passage is in paragraph ____.

TASK 5. Read the information. Then do the IELTS Reading test below.

Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER from the passage for each answer. Write your answers.

Now that you have an idea of the content of the different paragraphs, you can spend time reading
the passage in detail to find the answers to the questions. The questions in this task type will
follow the order of the text. At the end, check your answers carefully: Have you written the
correct number of words for each answer? Here, it can be one word or two words. It can
also be a number, or one word and a number. It cannot be three words or more. Are all the
words you have written actually in the passage? You mustn’t change the words in any way.
Did you spell all the words correctly?
What geographical features have created the land of Ross Island? ___
How many Adélie penguin nests were counted at Cape Royds? ___
On what type of surface do Adélie penguins usually choose to build their nests? ___
What has, in the past, prevented penguins from reaching the open sea in the McMurdo Sound?
___
Approximately, what distance did Adélie penguins then have to walk to reach the sea? ___

TASK 6. You are going to answer some more questions related to the same Reading
passage. You will need to decide what information you want to find.

Read the information and then read questions 6–13. Match the types of information you
will need to look for in the Reading passage with the questions.

Questions 6–13

6. The Adélie penguin population has increased in the part of Ross Island known as _______.
7. Both Adélie penguins and the Chilean sea bass feed on _______.
8. Dr Kawaguchi believes that an increase in _______ is the main reason for declining numbers
of krill.
9. Not only penguins, but also _______ will be affected by smaller krill populations.
10. The _______ species of penguins have more variety in their diet than other penguins.
11. British and American scientists have used special equipment to find out more about penguin
_______.
12. The British-American team know that it is in _______ that the penguins begin to walk in a
northerly direction.
13. It is now thought by the British-American team that penguins require _______ to help them
avoid threats and to find food.

a month or season
a specific location on Ross Island
a type of penguin
another animal living in Antarctica
something eaten by Adélie penguins and the Chilean sea bass
something that has been increasing
something that penguins do
something that penguins need to survive

TASK 7. Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from
the passage for each answer.

6. The Adélie penguin population has increased in the part of Ross Island known as _______.
7. Both Adélie penguins and the Chilean sea bass feed on _______.
8. Dr Kawaguchi believes that an increase in _______ is the main reason for declining numbers
of krill.
9. Not only penguins, but also _______ will be affected by smaller krill populations.
10. The _______ species of penguins have more variety in their diet than other penguins.
11. British and American scientists have used special equipment to find out more about penguin
_______.
12. The British-American team know that it is in _______ that the penguins begin to walk in a
northerly direction.
13. It is now thought by the British-American team that penguins require _______ to help them
avoid threats and to find food.
TASK 8. Read the information. Then match the words in the box from the Reading passage
with the phrases in bold in the questions which have a similar meaning.

Very often, the information in the questions will be expressed differently in the Reading passage.
An important part of the IELTS Reading test is recognising how different words or phrases can
have a similar meaning.

Adélie penguins are thriving

diminishing
diverse
eat
geolocation sensors
need
rising levels of
slow march north

1. The Adélie penguin population has increased in the part of Ross Island known as Cape
Crozier.
2. Both Adélie penguins and the Chilean sea bass feed on silverfish.
3. Dr Kawaguchi believes that an increase in carbon dioxide is the main reason for
declining numbers of krill.
4. Not only penguins, but also whales will be affected by smaller krill populations.
5. The Gentoo species of penguins have more variety in their diet than other penguins.
6. British and American scientists have used special equipment to find out more about
penguin migration.
7. The British-American team know that it is in February that the penguins begin to walk in
a northerly direction.
8. It is now thought by the British-American team that penguins require light to help them
avoid threats and to find food.